Mandela Urges Donors to Back Global AIDS Fund
Former South African President Nelson Mandela, in a veiled swipe at the United States, called on donors on Thursday to join efforts to pour billions of dollars into a global fund to fight AIDS. Speaking at a major AIDS conference in Bangkok where Washington has come under fire for its go-it-alone approach, Mandela said donor nations must unite against the incurable disease that has killed 20 million people and infected nearly twice that number. The controversy erupted when U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan said the Bush administration should inject $1 billion a year and show the same commitment to fighting AIDS that it does in combating terrorism. [more]
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